At the centre of last night's STAR BLUES was a rare live track featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan with a guest solo from Jeff Beck. Though twenty years have passed since its recording, the piece still delights in its luxuriant playing from two guys really on form. I went to the SRV box set for the track, not available before or since. We also had something from Rod Piazza's new album for Delta Groove - "Soul Monster" is easily his best work for over a decade and his wife, Miss Honey, is understated and sympathetic throughout on keys.
I also did a first play for a guy born in the West Indies but got to be very much an Arizona bluesman at age five: Big Pete Pearson. He revelled gloriously on his own song "I Don't Know You" off his album "The Screamer". Eric Clapton started the show with something from the Robert Johnson project, he also closed the show in duet with Buddy Guy on their version of the classic piece "Early in The Morning".
The 65th anniversary of Operation Overlord will take place this week and I marked it with the Otis Redding version of Sam Cooke's "Change Is Gonna Come". We did some piano from Little Willie Littlefield and the disgustingly over-talented Mike Sanchez (he has my share as well as his own, then some). By 1963 Muddy Waters was known as the Father Of Chicago Blues with a non-pareil reputation as band leader attracting musicians of the highest calibre: he also recorded some sides that would latterly be known as unplugged, accompanied with just his own guitar his "Feel Like Going Home" from that year was quite beautiful.
I have a dilemma at the moment as to inclusion in the show of anything from the new album from a new artist - though not all of it is bluesy enough, it is his proclamation on his sexuality that gives me most trouble. The details aren't troubling, the upfront declaration is: he has made an issue of it before you can get the disc from the jewel case. For me the music and the connection it makes are what is important and that's how I want to judge if it should be on the playlist. The album from this artist changes the rules of the game and the genie is now out of the bottle, let me know what you think? You take care of yourselves and those that take care of you until we can spend some more time together at ten next Sunday on FM or online at the home of the 9-5 no-repeat workday
Gary Blue
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